The beam's mechanics differed between the games. In Super Metroid, if one beam hit a target, the other two would disappear as well and the target received the full damage of the three-beamed shot. However, in Metroid II and Samus Returns, the three were separate, and would not do this, exactly as the similar Wide Beam upgrade does. The crab depicted on the upgrade bears a strong resemblance to the Tallon Crab.

In Metroid: Samus Returns, a remake of Metroid II, the Spazer Beam can stack with other beams except for the Ice Beam and Grapple Beam. It is also required to destroy Gigadoras, a three-eyed door-blocking creature that can only be harmed with simultaneous shots to each of its eyes. Metroid: Samus Returns also marks the first time that the Spazer Beam is compatible with and can be stacked with the Plasma Beam.

"What's better than one beam that shoots through walls? How about three simultaneous beams? That's right! The Spazer Beam increases the number of beams you fire from your standard Power Beam. Instead of one simple beam, you fire three like an energy-based fork! A welcome upgrade for any Metroid-hunting bounty hunter."

Walkthrough (p. 116)

"The Spazer Beam changes the Wave Beam so it fires three shots at a time instead of one. Your beams still go through walls and solid objects, but now your shots are more powerful and have an increased spread, so it's much easier to hit your targets. The best news is that the Spazer Beam can destroy Gigadora-covered doors. Whenever you see those purple, three-eyed creatures covering a door, fire your Spazer Beam at their eyes three times and collect whatever goodies are hidden behind them."

In Metroid II: Return of Samus, the word "laser" in the beam's title seems to suggest that the Spazer is a laser weapon.

In Super Metroid, due to memory limitations in the SNES cartridge, the Spazer was incompatible with the Plasma Beam. If both were simultaneously selected with a variety of other factors, the game would glitch with results such as the Murder Beam, Spacetime Beam and the Chainsaw Beam.

However in Metroid: Samus Returns it can be stacked on top of the Power Beam with the Wave and Plasma Beams. However it is incompatible with the Ice and Grapple Beams which are standalone beam options. Additionally there is no glitch that allows it to be stacked onto either the Ice or Grapple Beam due to the way beams function in Samus Returns.